jmmendoza Reviews

Renfield (2023)

Bloody Good!

[8/10 · 22 January 2024]

Nicholas Hoult is always a perfect choice for a dracula/zombie role! I first saw him in the film 'Warm Bodies' (2013) where he played a lead zombie role and I fell in love with him since..

Renfield is such a fun comedy horror film and I really appreciate all the little details they added (such as the welcome mat that allowed Dracula in Renfield's apartment). Awkwafina is such a perfect choice for a supporting actress in the film too! Renfield and Rebecca are the unlikely duo and it surprisingly worked well for the film.

My only issue is that the backstory of how Renfield ended up serving Dracula wasn't really shown. I feel like this film could have been a bit longer to cover that part of the story.

Overall, this is still a very enjoyable film and it deserves an 8 out of 10!

The Great (2020–2023)

Unexpectedly GREAT

[8/10 · 10 January 2022]

I'm really loving this series not only because it has one of my favourite actos who I first saw in 'Warm Bodies' (Nicholas Hoult), but also because it is just overall really fun and entertaining! I love the fierceness and quirkiness of Catherine (Elle Fanning) and her chemistry with Peter is just undeniably PERFECT! The wardrobe and the setting also look spectacular and it looks like the producers did not hold back! Can't wait for more seasons and episoses to come!

Queer Eye: Angel Gets Her Wings (2021) Season 6, Episode 2

Love (and Lumpia) Wins!

[10/10 · 9 January 2022]

I cried buckets in this entire episode, a very moving one indeed! I really loved the part where Karamo explains that coming out is outdated in the sense that it gives other people the power to accept or deny you when you 'come out' whereas the process is actually letting people 'in' to our lives when we finally introduce our true selves.

On another note, thank you QE for featuring Filipino cuisine (Lumpia)!! It really means a lot to the Filipino community as we all know that the Filipino cuisine does not get the recognition it deserves! 👏🏼🇵🇭

Out in the Dark (2012)

Love always finds a way...

[10/10 · 31 March 2019]

I have seen countless of LGBT films but Out in the Dark has touched me in many ways!

First of all, the producers of the film did a really great job in casting - both Nicholas Jacob and Michael Aloni are just the PERFECT main characters! The chemistry between the two is just electric! Roy (Michael Aloni) represents a true Israeli who works as a lawyer and Nimr (Nicholas Jacob) portrays a Palestinian who went to Israel to study Psychology. In just a few minutes after seeing Nimr and Roy, I immediately got hooked not only because they are good looking but also because they are such great actors!

Another thing I loved about this film is how real the story is. This kind of story actually happens in the real world. In a country like Israel, homophobia is a sensitive topic. I can only imagine how hard it is for homosexuals to live in a country like Israel. Nimr gets a free pass to study in Israel but the pass got revoked due to the 'secret agents' finding out about his sexuality. These are the same agents who discovered Nimr's close friend Mustafa and dropped him off to the Palestinian side, to get beaten and eventually killed for being gay.

Out in the Dark, in my opinion, is just a perfect depiction of love and the many positive things it entails. Despite Nimr and Roy's unfathomably hard situation, Roy finds a way to show his love for Nimr by getting a yacht where Nimr can aboard and flee to France, instead of being killed for his sexuality in Palestine. Roy did everything to save Nimr and to set him free from all the danger he was facing in Palestine.

This film just made me understand the meaning of 'love' more. Love really always finds a way...

Now we didn't get to see what happened to Roy in the end, only that he was threatened by the agent to rot in jail. I really hope there will be a sequel to this film - we need Out in the Dark Part 2, please! I am so curious of what happens next to the story of Nimr and Roy! I really hope there will be a follow up to the story.

Monster Pies (2013)

Great story, horrible acting...

[3/10 · 31 March 2019]

The film tells a great story - both Tristan Barr and Lucas Linehan are cute but the other actors in this film are just horrible in acting..

Project Almanac (2015)

Wasted Potential

[6/10 · 16 May 2015]

The producers of this film could time travel back to when they were about to make the film that actually has potential. First of all, it is such a great idea to actually bring about a time travel story played by teenagers. We can't deny the fact that teenagers nowadays are just roaming around with their smartphones or any other gadgets right in front of their faces.

This film could have been a hit if it was made more 'believable'. There are just a few things in the film that are somewhat hard to believe. I understand that the shaky camera is to make it appear that the teenagers are filming themselves the whole time, but I believe it was overdone. Apparently, things happened fast. When Jessie caught David and his friends doing the experiment in the basement, of course, she was shocked about what was happening- there are stuff floating and spinning around the basement. Then all of sudden, she got into it. She became interested and joined them with their experiment in no time, which is another unbelievable moment.

At first, I honestly found it stupid that David appeared in his 7th birthday video. I was totally baffled asking myself why the hell would he appear in his 7th birthday video. I had mixed emotions while watching the film just because of that old video appearance of him that I found very frustrating. But in the end, I got the whole point which actually amazed me and changed my mind about what I thought the film could be.

The film is a kind of a puzzle solving story, in fact. It actually enforces the audience to think and hold the puzzle pieces together while watching. It is truly confusing at some points, but in the end, you will realise that you have been completing the puzzle slowly but surely. But still, I have some regrets about the film because it has the potential. I hate to say that I honestly think the director had some mediocrity there. It could've been made a lot better by polishing up further. Anyway, I still found it worth the watch because of the brilliant storyline, not to mention the actors actually did a great job too.

Boyhood (I) (2014)

Lacklustre

[3/10 · 16 September 2014]

The only thing that pushed me to watch the film is the fact that it was "filmed for over 12 years with the same cast". Well, that's really spectacular, cause it really shows the growth of the characters, especially Mason, on screen.

Unfortunately, I was so bored that I had to fast forward scenes and eventually stop watching it. It is just so dull and plain for me. There's nothing so special about this film other than it was filmed for more than a decade.

However, I still give it a 3/10 for the effort of, again, filming for more than 12 years.

Fright Night 2 (2013 Video)

Nothing New

[6/10 · 1 October 2013]

I actually didn't know that there will be a sequel to the first film of Fright Night (which I rated 10/10). I felt excited when I saw it here at IMDb.

But when I was watching it, I was kinda bored and just fast forwarded some scenes. Cause honestly, the story was just the same. Same old story, like the boy has suspicions on his neighbor, and has a friend who's into vampires, and has a stereotype girlfriend that in the end, will be bitten by the vampire, and of course, the celebrity hero that will kill the vampire. And also, the characters' names are still the same? Why is that? Much more like a remake, not a sequel.

The ending part was almost the same as in "Jennifer's Body". And oh, by the way, is it supposed to really be a Comedy/Horror film? Cause I didn't laugh or even smile at all. It's a Thriller movie. But over-all, it was still entertaining. Especially the thriller parts. Still not bad for a 6/10!

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

A Story That Will Remain In Our Hearts Forever

[10/10 · 29 August 2013]

The movie reminds us that life is way too short to hold back our feelings and not get what we want, even if it's in front of us. Time lapses fast. It reminds us to always grab the opportunity of getting something we want, or we'll regret it for life when it's gone.

Jack always wanted to live with Ennis, but Ennis will always refuse to come with him, for he is afraid to admit himself as a homosexual. His bad memory in his past where his dad made him sure to witness a man who's been killed for being gay holds back his passion for Jack. But what I'm assure of, is his love for Jack is truly undeniable.

It was too late when Ennis finally decided to meet with Jack and come with him. Jack died in an accident. If only Ennis didn't hold back his feelings, they both should've been happy with their lives. Jack's ashes were scattered in Brokeback Mountain, as he said "it was his favorite place". Now, Ennis lives alone, and only Jack's blood-stained shirt is what he has.

It is natural in one's life to have obstacles, but we can't let these fear us, fight our feelings and win over our dreams. Bad memories should be left in the past for they belong there, and should not be carried in the present. Thinking positively will surely let us be happy with our lives. Acceptance in one's self will set us free from worries, and will let us live a happier life. Nobody's perfect. Even if it's Ennis' fault, it served as a lesson for him and for everyone to grasp our dreams, if it's reachable, ahead of time, and don't ever let it go away, or we'll regret it.

I was so affected when I saw this movie. I can't even sleep thinking about it still. It broke my heart, really. It is by far the best drama movie I've ever seen in my life. I was moved by it's realness and I'll always remember this movie forever.. :'(

Thankyou so much, Annie Proulx for your heart-warming story! And to Ang Lee, the director of the film. The pair up of Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger is just perfect for this film. They both are superb actors, whose emotions are very real and I can see that they are really passionate of what they're doing.

But I was saddened by the fact that Heath Ledger passed away due to overuse of pills. R.I.P. Heath Ledger, you will be missed. You are and will remain as a legend forever...